Summary
Ever since the first movie released in 1977,Star Warshas had a long tradition of having characters lose a hand. While this makes sense in a galaxy where characters wield laser swords that can easily slice off a limb, viewers may be surprised at how many characters have lost a hang across several stories. TheStar Warsmoviesand TV shows are packed with characters who have lost a hand, and more examples can be found in the official canon and the originalStar WarsExpanded Universe, now known as Legends.
Many characters who lose a limb in theStar Warsgalaxy can receive a cybernetic replacement of even a regrown limb. However, many characters' loss of limb is accompanied by a far worse injury, leaving more to worry about than a missing hand. From the first movie to the latest TV show, 16Star Warscharacters are the franchise’s most notable instances of losing a hand.
New Star Wars Movies: Every Upcoming Movie & Release Date
Here’s every upcoming Star Wars movie in development - including Rey’s New Jedi Order, the Dawn of the Jedi, and The Mandalorian & Grogu!
C-3PO
In addition to being the firstStar Warscharacter to appear onscreen (alongside R2-D2), C-3PO was the first to lose a hand. When a Tusken Raider jumped out to attack Luke Skywalker,C-3PO fell off a cliff and lost his arm on impact. Although Luke reattached the arm, it wasn’t the last time C-3PO lost a limb, literally falling to pieces after being shot by a stormtrooper inThe Empire Strikes Back.Star Wars: The Force Awakenseven made this a joke by having C-3PO appear with a red arm that was promptly replaced by the end of the movie.
15Ponda Baba
A New Hope
Rather than be content with a droid losing an arm inA New Hope, George Lucas decided that a living being needed to lose a limb too.Ponda Baba and Doctor Evazan chose to pick a fight with a young Luke Skywalker, realizing too late that his older companion was a Jedi Knight carrying a lightsaber. After Obi-Wan Kenobi deflected their blaster bolts, Evazan was slashed across the torso while Baba’s whole arm was severed. Evazan later tried to replace Baba’s arm with a cybernetic replacement but failed and nearly killed his friend, leading to a falling out between them.
14The Wampa Who Attacked Luke Skywalker
The Empire Strikes Back
Following his mentor’s example, Luke Skywalker became the next Jedi to cut off an arm inThe Empire Strikes Back. Luke was attacked by a wampa while patrolling the planet Hoth and taken back to the beast’s lair, where he was hung upside down and unable to escape. Calling on the Force,Luke brought the lightsaber to his hand just in time to escape and cut off the wampa’s armbefore running out of the cave. This proved to be a harrowing trial for Luke and a clever foreshadowing of his fate in the movie’s climax.
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker became the first majorStar Warscharacter to permanently lose a handin his duel with Darth Vader inThe Empire Strikes Back. After escaping Cloud City, Luke received a mechanical replacement, while his real hand ended up in Emperor Palpatine’s laboratory on Exegol. As painful as Luke’s experience was, it served a symbolic purpose inReturn of the Jediwhen he cut off his father’s mechanical hand and realized he was beginning to walk the same dark path. Luke eventually lost or removed the synthetic flesh from his cybernetic hand, exposing the metal underneath.
In theStar WarsLegends timeline, the Imperial Remnant used Luke’s hand to create an evil clone called Luuke Skywalker.
12Tenel Ka Djo (Legends)
Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights
In theStar WarsLegends timeline, Luke Skywalker had one of his Jedi students lose a hand the same way he did. However,Tenel Ka Djo’s arm was accidentally cut off during a training duel with Jacen Solowhen her lightsaber overloaded and shorted out. Rather than replacing her arm as Luke had, Tenel Ka chose to leave it the way it was and learn to wield a lightsaber with her other hand. Despite his mistake, Tenel Ka did not resent Jacen, and the two eventually fell in love and had a daughter.
11Jango Fett
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Although Jango Fett survived his first fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Kamino, he fell to Mace Windu’s blade on Geonosis. With his jetpack destroyed, Jango couldn’t fly away as Mace charged, cutting off the hand holding his blaster before decapitating him. Watching helplessly from the stands, young Boba Fett would eventually seek to avenge his father and take revenge on the Jedi who killed him.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Like C-3PO, Anakin Skywalker lost a hand several times throughout his life. He first lost his right arm in a duel with Count Dooku, which was replaced by a cybernetic arm. After falling to the dark side,Anakin lost his other limbs fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, where he also received severe burns over his entire body. Palpatine had him placed in a cybernetic suit that kept him alive but made him more machine than man. He lost his right arm again in a duel with Luke Skywalker before turning on his master and sacrificing himself to save his son.
9Durge (Legends)
Star Wars: Clone Wars2D micro-series
A deadly bounty hunter employed by Count Dooku during the Clone Wars,Durge led his droid forces against Obi-Wan Kenobi’s clone soldiers during the Republic invasion of Muunilinst. Obi-Wan quickly discovered that stabbing Durge through the abdomen wouldn’t kill him, though he believed the bounty hunter dead after cutting off his arm and slicing him in half. However, Durge could regenerate and engaged Obi-Wan again, this time engulfing the Jedi in his gelatinous form before being blown up by a powerful Force blast.
Count Dooku
In a final duel with Count Dooku at the end of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker cut off both of the Sith Lord’s hands, taking revenge for his own lost arm years earlier. Left at Anakin’s mercy, Dooku was betrayed by Palpatine, who encouraged the young Jedi to kill him. Although visibly conflicted,Anakin gave in to the dark side and decapitated Dooku, setting him on the path to becoming Palpatine’s new apprentice.
7General Grievous
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
After tracking down General Grievous on Utapau, Obi-Wan Kenobi challenged his old adversary to one last lightsaber duel. Despite wielding one lightsaber against Grievous' four,Obi-Wan cut off two of Grievous' hands before disarming him entirely with a Force blastthat sent him flying into a wall. The two generals faced off for the last time on a landing pad where Obi-Wan shot Grievous five times in the chest with his own blaster.
